Awakening to God's Call to Earthkeeping
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Awakening to God’s call to Earthkeeping For creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God. Romans 8:19 Awakening to God’s call to Earthkeeping For creation waits Contents with eager longing Leader Guide for the revealing Introduction 3 of the children of God. Romans 8:19 Session One: Rediscovering Our Place in Creation 5 Participant 10 A four-session small group study Session Two: God’s Presence to encourage, empower, and Fills All Creation 12 equip Lutherans in their calling Participant 18 to care for creation. Leader Resource 21 Session Three: Biblical Caring for creation is an essential component of Foundations for religious faith and witness. Faithful “earthkeeping” Earthkeeping 22 can deepen our relationship both with God and with one another, as we work for the healing of the world. Participant 26 This resource is downloadable at no cost from Leader Resource 28 the ELCA website at ww.elca.org/stewardship/ teaching. For more specific information about Session Four: Creation Waits earthkeeping and using this resource, you may with Eager Longing! 35 contact the author, and ELCA Diaconal Minister, Participant 40 Kim Winchell, at [email protected]. Appendix of by Kim Winchell Resource Materials Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian A Theology for Earthkeeping 43 Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA and used by permission. All rights reserved. Sample Survey on Religious Faith and the Environment 45 Copyright © 2006 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. This study may be downloaded and reproduced for one-time Historical Voices on Creation 46 local usage. All reproductions must include this notice. A Congregational Covenant for **Though this study guide has been designed with ELCA the Care of Creation 48 Lutherans in mind, members of other denominations can easily modify it for their own use, by incorporating pertinent Helpful Resources for a Faithful materials from their own faith traditions and national church Response as Earthkeepers! 49 offices. Design: Brewer Communications, Inc. www.brewer-com.com Cover photo ©iStockphoto.com/czardases Awakening to God’s Call to Earthkeeping Introductionw 2 Introduction Leader Guide Earthkeeping is a term Possible Uses Desired Outcomes being used by many people of faith to and Contexts It is hoped that participants will: describe the nature of our responsi- G This resource is intended for use Gain a deeper awareness and bility to care for creation. It springs in any faith-based small group setting, understanding of our connection from our wonder, awe, and gratitude such as: adult/older youth Sunday to creation and discover new for God’s wisdom, creativity, and school or Christian education classes, ways to live into God’s hope and blessings that fill the natural world. Women’s circles, Men’s groups, or a guidance for our lives and world. It also grows out of our dismay and congregational “creation care” team. concern for the degradations and G Awaken to the Spirit’s urgent call The material may be presented “groaning” of God’s good creation. in our time, to better care for the over four, approximately one-hour Faithful earthkeeping involves Earth, in ways that are just and sessions, but suggestions and options extending the justice, peace, reconcil- sustainable for all. are included for extending the study, iation, hope, and love of Christ to all G where feasible or desired. It could Embrace a hopeful vision for creation. In caring for the Earth, we also be utilized over a weekend in a how we, and the generations that also deepen our relationship with retreat setting. This curriculum is follow us, can live in a world God and with one another, making merely an introductory overview, and marked by a loving, healthy, our faith more alive and relevant, in groups are encouraged to make use life-giving relationship between and to a broken world. of the additional resources listed in humankind and the rest of God’s This study guide has been the Appendix, so that earthkeeping creation. developed to help group participants might become more fully integrated hear and respond to God’s call to G Be empowered and equipped to into the ongoing awareness, life, and earthkeeping, as a way to grow in find ways to bring that vision to practices of our family of faith. their faith and to work for the healing life, both in our personal lives Thank you, and blessings be upon of the world, both individually and in and through a congregational you, for your leading of this group congregations. witness to the wider society. study about answering God’s call to care for the Earth! This study booklet is arranged for use by the group leader, with separate, reproducible participant pages for each session. Awakening to God’s Call to Earthkeeping Introductionw 3 Leader Tips and Advance Preparation: G Read through and familiarize yourself with the whole study booklet ahead of time, taking note of placement of materials, any advance prep needed for each session, and potential options for expanding the sessions. G Order, or borrow, and preview any videos (from the Resource list) that may be used. G Provide notice of this study group opportunity in your congregational newsletter or via other means available to you for promoting and advertising it. G Post a sign-up sheet ahead of time to aid in determining how many participants to plan for and how many copies of participant L L E pages to prepare. Please use H C N I recycled content papers! W M I K © O G Consider “decorating” the meet- T O H ing space to be used with a small P collection of natural objects, pho- or a state ELCA public policy G [Important!] The leader, and par- tos, or posters depicting natural office will also be a helpful ticipants, should collect (both scenes (participants may also be resource, in terms of issues. prior to the class and throughout) invited to add to this collection). any newspaper and magazine arti- G You may also wish to review, and cles about current environmental G Make sure your meeting space perhaps obtain for group mem- issues or problems, and post or has sufficient, comfortable seat- bers, a copy of the ELCA’s social display them in some manner in ing and tables, if needed (though, statement Caring for Creation: the meeting room (this will be if possible, consider holding your Vision, Hope, and Justice—see important in leading up to, and discussions outside!). www.elca.org/socialstatements/ preparing for, Session Four). environment. G Access to a white board or paper G Finally, have fun with this! Be flip chart would be helpful. G Each session has suggested open to the leading of the Spirit. prayers for the Opening and G Be aware of nearby nature cen- This should be a journey of joy, Closing/Sending, but feel free to ters, planetariums, and any local discovery, and hope for all create your own prayers, if or state environmental groups involved. Encourage and allow desired, and to have group (as potential places to visit or for all to have a chance to be heard, members share in the leading of info on current local issues). and strive to have discussions prayers and readings. Potential that are courteous and respectful, G The national ELCA office for discussion questions will be accepting that sometimes we may public policy, The Washington included for each session. have to agree to disagree. Office, (www.elca.org/advocacy) Awakening to God’s Call to Earthkeeping Introductionw 4 Awakening to God’s Call toEarthkeeping toGod’s Awakening God’s call God’s Psalm 8:3-4,6a hands. works ofyour the dominion over them given have …you for them?[Yet] mortals care thatyou mindful ofthem, beings thaty human what are established, have and thestarsthatyou y theworkof heavens, When Ilookatyour our fingers,themoon Awakening in Creation OurPlace Rediscovering Earthkeeping to ou ar Session One Session to e ©ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/JARED DELARIMAN 1 Session One Session One 5 Session One: Rediscovering Our Place in Creation Leader Guide 1 Leader Tips and Note: This study guide utilizes the Opening the Session common modern scientific Advance Preparation understanding that the universe is Leader welcomes group partici- pants and invites brief introductions, G Make sufficient copies of the approximately 13-14 billion years Survey on Religious Faith & the old, and the Earth about 5 billion if needed (fuller introductions will Environment (Appendix, page 45) years old. See pertinent videos, follow opening prayer and opening readings). if you choose to use that compo- books, and the “Clergy Letter nent in Session One and later Project” in the Resources section return it for participant review for further information, if you A Call to Prayer and reflection in Session Four. think this will be of concern to See page 10. This may be read Alternately, the survey can be any of your participants. in unison; leader may follow with a distributed and collected prior free-form prayer or invite participant G You may wish to find some to the first class, and reviewed petitions of hopes for the study Hubble Telescope photos to have confidentially ahead of time. group, or creation itself. available or on display for this Whichever way the survey is session (or schedule a follow-up used, the idea is to gain a sense Distribution of the Survey visit to a local planetarium). of the starting point attitudes of (optional) the group. Plan to have partici- G Plan ahead for how you might Ask participants to take just a pants write their name or initials convey the concepts of the couple of minutes to quietly fill it out, on the backside of the survey, Ancient Hebrew worldview and fold it in half, and put their name after it is folded in half to turn in.